Addressing Conservation Challenges Around the World

Taking on the tough issues facing conservation today.

The Nature Conservancy is taking on the tough issues facing conservation today — from climate change to coral reefs, to energy development in a growing world. We are applying high level strategies to our conservation work around the world in the following areas:

The Conservancy works with government officials and partners around the world. In the United States, we work to support public policies that protect our lands and waters so the next generations of Americans can build secure and rewarding lives.

Freshwater ecosystems provide us with drinking water, food, energy, transportation — even joy. But experts warn that in the next 20 years, half of the world’s population could face water shortages. There are practical solutions to freshwater conservation but we must take bold action now.

The Nature Conservancy is working around the world in places like Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula to protect rainforests, engaging local and indigenous communities in creative solutions that balance the needs of people with nature.

Scientists estimate that unless we take immediate action, we could lose up to 70 percent of coral reefs by 2050.The Nature Conservancy is dedicated to protecting these vital ecosystems and all the corals, fish and people that depend on them.

Birds are a priceless part of our heritage. They are beautiful, they reflect the health of our environment, and they are economically important. Preserving and protecting bird habitat has always been a core part of the Conservancy's mission.

Sustaining the world’s land resources is where the Conservancy’s story began. Today, we are guided by our vision to conserve land at an unprecedented scale — for the benefit of people, wildlife, and our climate. Ours is a mission to transform how land is developed, used and conserved, doing more to unlock the true potential for green growth.

Protecting nature isn’t about putting up fences around pristine places to keep people out. We’re about protecting the places and resources we depend on for the benefit of all species — plants, animals and people.

The Nature Conservancy collaborates and partners with Indigenous peoples and local communities around the world to support a human rights-based approach to conservation. In an effort to further our commitment to inclusive conservation, we support indigenous and community-led initiatives to strengthen their decision-making authority and stewardship of natural resources.

The Nature Conservancy’s approach to development enables companies, governments and communities to make better decisions about where development could occur — and where it shouldn’t. Through science and planning methods, like Development by Design, we can provide a holistic view of what development does to natural systems and the people and precious wildlife that depend upon them.

How We Work

For more than a decade, The Nature Conservancy’s work has been guided by a framework we call Conservation by Design — a systematic approach that determines where to work, what to conserve, what strategies we should use and how effective we have been.

The Nature Conservancy has a strong and abiding commitment to diversity in its workforce and in the people and groups with which it works. We recognize the Conservancy's mission is best advanced by the leadership and contributions of men and women of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures.

For decades, The Nature Conservancy has recognized that the private sector has an important role to play in advancing our conservation mission. We are applying our science, reach, expertise in conservation planning, and on-the-ground experience to help businesses make better decisions, understand the value of nature, and protect it.

The Conservancy has financed hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation, protection and restoration throughout the years, and has been at the cutting edge of science, land conservation and innovative financing solutions. We are always testing new ways to further our reach — like the Conservation Note which allows individual and institutional investors to put their money where their values are by investing in Conservancy projects around the globe.

The New Wild

There are places around the world where people and nature are thriving together.

The Nature Conservancy is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax identification number 53-0242652) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law.